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World Naval Developments: New Modes of Failure

Toyota's automobile problems carry some interesting lessons for naval and other defense systems. Apparently it and other car manufacturers have quietly been moving from mechanical connections to what might be called drive-by-wire, analogous to the fly-by-wire technology common in recent aircraft. In such systems, the operator senses that moving the controls (in a car, the steering wheel) directly moves other parts (the front wheels). In fact, the control movement sends signals to a computer, which in turn controls electric motors that move, in this case, the front wheels. This seems unnecessarily complicated, but it offers considerable advantages, and is a bridge to further advances.

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Norman Friedman is a consultant on global naval strategy, naval trends, and naval warfare. An internationally known military technology analyst and naval historian, he worked for a decade as an advisor to Secretaries of the Navy, and for another 10 years with a leading U.S. think tank. Dr. Friedman travels the world speaking to military and defense industry leaders, and appears frequently appears on television as a guest commentator.
Norman Friedman is a prominent naval analyst and the author of more than thirty books covering a range of naval subjects, from warship histories to contemporary defense issues. He is a longtime columnist for Proceedings magazine and lives in New York City.

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